A Florida man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
The court also ordered Leslie Duppins, Jr. 40, of Brevard County, to an additional 12 months’ imprisonment, to run consecutively, for violating his supervised release conditions by committing the drug offense and driving recklessly.
Duppins had pleaded guilty on June 13, 2023.
According to court documents, a deputy from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office observed Duppins driving his vehicle recklessly.
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The deputy followed Duppins and was assisted by fellow deputies and a task force officer from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The officers tracked the vehicle to a gas station on Palm Bay Road in Melbourne.
As the officers surveilled the vehicle, Duppins remained in the driver’s seat and did not exit the vehicle, but other individuals exited and entered the vehicle.
Law enforcement officers subsequently conducted a traffic stop due to the reckless driving.
While officers were approaching the vehicle, Duppins appeared to reach down towards his waist. Duppins was given several loud verbal commands to place his hands up. Duppins failed to comply, appeared to remove something near his waist, and reached into the rear passenger side of the vehicle.
Upon contact at the driver’s door, Duppins was asked to step out of the vehicle and was placed under arrest for reckless driving.
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During a search of the vehicle, the officers located a clear bag containing a blue powdery substance on the rear passenger floorboard.
The substance, later tested and weighed by a Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory, weighed approximately 114 grams and tested positive for fentanyl.
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